Tyler's Birthday Celebration

Rental house in the Galena Territory

Last weekend we went with our teammates to Galena, IL, about 15 miles East of Dubuque. We took two nights to get away, eat lots of food, play games, and enjoy each others company. With the end of the year approaching and all of us going different directions it was a wonderful get-away and time to be together. And it just happened that it was over Tyler's birthday, so we turned it into a celebration!

Our teammate Craig found this amazing rental house in the Galena Territory, a 6,800-acre planned residential and recreational community.

Not only did we enjoy having a cabin in the wilderness to ourselves for two nights, we drove into downtown Galena on Saturday night and enjoyed the beautiful countryside!

The backyard with the beautiful view! Perfect for bird-watching!

My Grandma Maxine and my Aunt Sherry (among other family members that have picked it up) are avid birdwatchers and I thought of them a lot during the weekend! If I would have had a bird book and binoculars, I would have given it a go as well! This location was perfect for birdwatching. Not only outside, but inside there was a clock that rang every hour with a different bird call. It was very entertaining!

Tyler and Craig enjoyed the pool table

Have you heard of the game "Pass the Pigs?" It's a big hit on campus with the guys.

There are two tiny pigs and you roll them. Depending on how they land you get points. It's a gambling game (maybe that's why it appeals to the guys) because you can either keep your points or keep trying to get more, but you might "pig out" and loose all your points. Anyway, I'd suggest you check it out for a few laughs!

What is a birthday without cake? Tyler's favorite ice cream treat is vanilla ice cream and health bar. I just happened to find a chocolate and vanilla Heath ice cream cake. We enjoyed it two nights in a row!

On Saturday night we drove into Galena and walked around downtown. Our favorite stop is the Canning Company because you can taste countless jams, spreads, hot sauces, bbqs, dips, you name it!

Downtown Galena

I think Tyler had a good birthday weekend!